Improved spring-bed bottom



'stent utilize.

THOMAS W. JOHNSTON,

OF RICHMOND, MAINE.

` Leners Patent No. 100,635, lated March s, 1870.

IMPRovED SPRING-BED BOTTOM..

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all to whom ilicscprsents shall come:

`Be it knownthat I, THOMAS W. JOHNSTON, of Richmond, in the county of Sagadahoc, and State of Maine, have made an invention ot' a new a-nd usefill Spring-Bed Bottom; and do hereby declare the following to bc a full, clear, and exact description theres of,l due reference. being had ,to the accompanying drawings making part of'this specification, and in which- ,Y

Figure l is a plan, and

FigurcQ, a vertical and longitudinal section of my invention.

This invention is an inn'n'o'vement in spring-hed bottoms, so called, its object being to obtain, at rearv sonable expense, a uniformly even and elastic founda- -tion for a bed, and one possessing great comfort and durability.

'lhe invention consists in the 'employment of a series of slopingv springs, rising at an angle from opposivtesides of ,a plurality of bals which extend across `the circumscribiug frame of the bed-bottom, the upper and free extremities of thesaid springs being joined by a number of wires or cords extending from one to the other, in a zigzag direction, across the said frame, the whole being as hereinafter explained.

In the drawings accompanying this specification,` and which illustrate my inventiona denotes a rectangular Vframe, composed of two 'side rails, b b, and two end rails, c c, this frame being of such construction and size as to lit within a bedl stead after the manner ofmany other bed-bottoms in use. y

V Extending transversely across the frame a, from side to side thereof, and with their ends let into `the side rails for support, are disposed a range of bals or rods, cl d, &c., suoli bars or rods being of such diameter or bulk as to serve, in aggregate, as a firm support for the bed and its occupants.

These rods d uphold a series of sloping springs, e e, Snc., inclining nlnvard from them in alternately opposite directions, the` upper and free extremitiesV of such springs being joined by a series of -wiresor cords, f f, which run through or are twisted about them, the extremitiesof these wires being secured to the rails of the frame a. Y

Under the' arrangement shown in the accompanying drawings, a wire starts from one side rail through the extremity or bend of the nearest spring, thence crossing to the diagonally opposite spring of the next 'i adjacent series, thence hack to thc second spring in the same series as at first, and so on until the opposite side rail is reached and the remaining or unconiinedf cnd of the wire secured to such rail.

In this manner the combined series of springs are joined together with such eect that a depression of one necessarily effects a slight corresponding movement among its companions, thus distributing over The springs c 0,8m., before mentioned, are produced as follows:

A piece of spring wire is rst formed or bent at one extremity into an leye or coil, af, to embrace the end of' one of the rods d, thence bent into the form of a yoke or arm, d', as shown yinthe drawings, and a second eye or coil produced from it, while from this last coil or eye the wire is extended or bent into a yoke of similar size and shape, but'departing froml the rod in a direction directly opposite that taken by the first yoke, the wire being thus formed into alternating yokes until a suicient number have been acquired to extend across the frame a, the extremities of the wires in 4excess of each end coil being securely fastened to the inner face of the siderails of the frame a in Order to prevent the ent-ire series from turning about upon the rod, although, as before stated, the wires c c to a certain extent effect this purpose.

The center of the bend of each yoke or spring c is formed with an offset or partial eye, h, for reception and security of the connecting cords f f, &c`.

The. yokes or springs e e, 85e., extend in alternate opposite directions from their supporting rods, at an inclination of about thirty degrees, thus leaving su cient space between them and the rods to permit of the necessaryplay.

The system of connecting the springs by the wires f f, as shown in the annexed drawings, may be de-` partedfrom without avoiding the main features of m5 invention.

' A bed-bottom made as above described has proved in practice to possess all the requisites of ease durability, and economy, the small ibterstices intervening between its springs producing a peculiarly even and soft tbundation.

'.lhe form or nature of the spring herein shown may bc adapted to many other articles than bed-bottoms,

as seats, cushions, &c., and I do not intend to limit my application of such spring to one particular' purpose.

C laim.

l I claiin'a brd-bottom composed ofa series of liftersprings, formed substantially asv explained, applied to a langeof transverse rods or hars, and united by wires woven through the yokes of said springs, the whole being arranged and operating as described.

THOMAS W. JOHNSTON;

' Witnesses:

lE. H. HnwINs, linnn. CURTrs.

L A c. 

